Payback's A Witch
by CharmedOneForever
Summary: Sequel to Revenge Is Bittersweet. Set a month after the last story. How are the sisters coping? Will they ever learn the truth?
1. Divided

A/N: Ok, before you start reading this I strongly recommend that you read my first story 'Revenge Is Bittersweet'. If you've already read it then great! Read on! (I've changed this chapter a tiny bit as I realised I'd made a mistake)

For those of you who haven't read the first story and really can't be bothered here's a quick update on what happened. Basically, Cole decided that it was Paige's fault for ruining his and Phoebe's relationship so she had to die. After a few attempts which involved torturing and raping her, to make her suffer, he finally managed to kill Paige. He cast a memory spell on everyone making them think a different demon killed her and that he himself tried to save her.

This story is set about a month after Paige's funeral. Phoebe and Cole are back together.

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_Bang! _

_Piper dropped to the ground as an energy ball whirled over her head, hitting the wall and showering her in dust. Getting to her feet she flicked her hands at the demon in an attempt to blow it to pieces but nothing happened. Uh-oh._

_Phoebe attacked the creature with a roundhouse kick but it was easily dodged and she was shoved backwards. She hit her head against the corner of the cabinet and fell to the floor, out cold._

_As Piper hurried to her fallen sister she heard Paige's voice call out a warning. Without even thinking about it she leapt to the ground again, avoiding yet another energy ball. She crawled on her stomach over to Phoebe and checked her pulse. She was ok._

_Turning back to Paige she watched in horror as the demon launched two energy balls, one after the other straight at her baby sister. Paige orbed out of the way for the first one but as she orbed back in the second energy ball it her squarely in the chest, hurling her across the room._

_Suddenly Cole appeared out of nowhere and started firing energy balls at the demon. After what seemed like an eternity, the demon staggered backwards and shimmered out. Cole turned quickly and dropped down next to Paige's crumpled form. _

_She could vaguely hear someone screaming Leo's name and then realised with a start that it was her own voice. She watched Cole perform CPR on Paige but to no avail. Leo finally orbed in and ran to heal the youngest Charmed One but she already knew it was too late._

_White hot anger and grief erupted inside of her and she dropped to her knees screaming Paige's name._

_She could hear Paige's ghostly voice echoing round the room._

"_Save me!"_

"_Save me…!"_

"_Save me…"_

Piper woke with a start, the bed sheets sticking to her sweat drenched body. She was panting slightly. It was that dream again. Damn it. She already felt guilty enough without the dreams haunting her. And Paige's voice... She was almost certain she could still hear the faint echo but knew it was just exhaustion playing tricks on her mind. She hadn't had a good night's sleep since the night it had happened. The night her baby sister had died.

She glanced over at the clock, it's digital numbers telling her that it was only 3.30am. As she sat up her husband grunted in his sleep and rolled over. It was unusual for him to be home. He was always off on whitelighter business these days. They'd hardly spent anytime together since Paige had died. She couldn't understand why or how he could sleep so well.

Standing up, she slipped her feet into her slippers and made her way up to the attic. As she reached the door she heard a voice and stopped to listen.

"….blood to blood, return to me…"

It was Phoebe. She was obviously trying the 'To Call A Lost Witch' spell again. Not that it would work. After all, it hadn't worked the last twenty times they'd tried.

Piper stepped into the room in time to see Phoebe dabbing her bleeding finger with a cloth. "Pheebs?"

Phoebe looked up, "Couldn't sleep either?" Piper shook her head and crossed the room to sit on the sofa.

"I had that dream again. It's like she's haunting me. As if she blames me for her death. Maybe she's right. Maybe it was my fault."

Phoebe sighed impatiently, "It wasn't your fault." She walked over to the Book Of Shadows and ran her hand over the cover. The triquetra on the front was broken. Divided. It had been that way since Paige's death. All the Power of Three spells had vanished making Paige's absence even more evident than it already was.

Piper watched as Phoebe idly flipped through a couple of pages before slamming it closed angrily. "I've looked through this damn thing a thousand times! I can't find anything! I don't even remember what that thing looked like! What sort of a sister does that make me?? All I remember is going to kick the demon and getting thrown back. The next thing I know I'm waking up to see you crying and Paige de…"

She stopped suddenly, her voice breaking. Piper nodded, "I know…"

"You got a better look at it than me. Did you see what it looked like?"

Piper stared at the floor. It had grown dusty since she and Phoebe had stopped bothering with housework. They were more focused on catching Paige's killer. Realising that Phoebe was still waiting for an answer she raised her eyes to meet Phoebe's tear filled ones.

"No."


	2. For Paige

Phoebe opened her eyes and blinked several times. The morning sun was streaming in through the window, practically blinding her. She was lying on the sofa with her face stuck to one of the pages from the Book of Shadows. Realising she must have fallen asleep whilst reading she sat up and threw the blanket that was covering her to the floor.

She left the attic and changed her clothes. She couldn't find her brush anywhere so she just pulled her hair back into an untidy ponytail. She stopped in the bathroom for a quick wash and to brush her teeth before hurrying down to the kitchen.

Leo was sat at the kitchen table drinking some coffee and reading the paper. He didn't bother looking up as she entered the room. Other than him the house seemed to be completely deserted. She glanced over at the dishes stacked at the sink and briefly considered washing them before pushing that thought from her mind. She looked over at Leo who took another sip of coffee and turned the page of the newspaper.

"Have you seen Piper this morning?" She stood waiting for an answer but he didn't even acknowledge her. She raised her voice, "Leo!"

He looked up at her sharply, "What?"

"Piper. Your wife. Where is she?"

He shrugged and looked back down at the paper, "How should I know? Probably off slaying demons like she normally is."

Phoebe sighed in exasperation and fought the urge to throw something at him, "Well, do you think you could help me find her?"

Leo finished his coffee and stood up, "Sorry, I can't. I've got whitelighter business to attend to."

"When are you going to start attending to your family business? She's your wife!"

"Maybe when she starts treating me like her husband rather than her enemy." Without waiting for a reply he orbed out.

Phoebe turned and headed back towards the stairs, muttering the whole time about how useless whitelighters are.

"Phoebe?" She turned at the sound of her name and saw her boyfriend, Cole, walking towards her. He smiled at her and planted a kiss on her lips before handing her a large bouquet of flowers. "I thought that perhaps we could go out for the day. Have a picnic, go to the movies, check out that new restaurant… anything. What do you say?"

She smiled and put the flowers down on the table. "I can't, sorry. I've got to go and scry for Piper. She's gone off on one of her demon hunting rampages again and I need to be there in case she needs my help."

Cole frowned, "But that's what you do everyday…"

"Yeah well, how else are we going to find the demon that killed Paige?"

"Maybe you should just give up? I mean, you haven't had any luck so far. One of these days you're going to get yourself killed. You don't have the power of three to protect you anymore."

Phoebe turned back towards the stairs, "I know Cole, you've been telling me that for weeks." She went to go up the stairs but Cole pulled her back roughly.

"Well, when are you going to start listening to me, damn it!"

Phoebe pushed his hand off of her shoulder and gave him a cool stare, "If it bothers you that much, you know where the door is."

"You know I'll never leave you… I just don't understand why you're doing this…"

"Because my sister was killed! Why do you think?"

"Over a month ago! You've got to move on!"

The front door opened and Piper walked through covered in blue goo. Phoebe rushed over to her. "Oh my God! Are you alright?"

Piper nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Lower level demon. He didn't know anything. I'm going to the book. You coming?" Phoebe nodded and started to follow her but Cole pulled her back again. Piper stopped and turned to look at him, "Do you have a problem Cole?"

"Damn right I have a problem! I will not allow you to drag my girlfriend all over the place, putting her in danger."

"I'm not dragging her all over the place! We're trying to find our sister's killer. I don't force Phoebe to come with me, she chooses to so back off!" Piper turned and stormed up the stairs.

Cole looked at Phoebe pleadingly, "Please… Don't go." Phoebe turned her back on him and jogged up the stairs after Piper.

Cole stood still for a moment before angrily throwing an energy ball at one of the dining chairs. Getting himself back under control he paced the hall restlessly, "It's not supposed to be this way… I didn't go through all of this just to lose her again." He glanced at a picture of Paige that was on the wall, "Even in death she's ruining things."

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Piper flipped through the Book of Shadows, glancing up at Phoebe every now and then. She'd been standing at the window ever since they got to the attic. Hearing a car speed off and guessing it was Cole she stopped flipping and looked at Phoebe properly. She'd lost weight since the funeral. They hardly ever slowed down enough to eat or sleep properly and it startled her that she hadn't noticed it before. "Pheebs?" Phoebe turned to her and it struck Piper how unhealthy she looked. Her face was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. She forced her worries to the back of her mind. She could only deal with one sister at a time and at the minute all of her energy was focused on avenging Paige. "So what's up with your boyfriend?" She winced. She hadn't meant her voice to sound so harsh and uncaring.

Phoebe shrugged, "He thinks we should give up on all of this. He says that we should try and move on and that we're going to get ourselves killed if we keep it up." She turned back to the window and stared at the spot where Cole's car had been parked seconds before.

"Do you agree with him?"

Phoebe shook her head, "No, I don't think we should give up. We can't stop until the bastard that killed her is dead. We owe her that much." They were both silent for a few minutes and Phoebe was tempted to turn and see what emotion was on her sister's face. However, before she got the chance she heard the pages of the book being turned again and knew that the moment was gone.

For some strange reason she suddenly had the overwhelming urge to cry, something she hadn't done since the funeral. It was incredible how much she missed Paige considering she hadn't been with them that long. It was like a part of her was missing somehow.

She wondered if Piper felt the same way. The only emotion Piper ever displayed lately was anger. She realised suddenly how much they'd drifted apart. They hadn't spoken properly in weeks, apart from to discuss the next demon to vanquish. They hadn't hugged, had any sister moments, they hadn't even sat in the same room for more than ten minutes. She wondered, after the demon was killed, whether there'd be anything to keep them together. Or whether they'd just grow further apart. Deep down though, she already knew the answer. She knew that as soon as they vanquished the bastard who'd stolen Paige's life there would be no reason for them to need each other anymore and that things would never be the same again.

As this revelation hit her so did about a months worth of pent up emotion and she burst into tears before fleeing from the room.

Piper watched her go and wondered whether or not she should follow her. Deciding not to, she turned back to the book. Breaking down would not find the demon. She had to keep it together. For Paige.

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A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! Feel free to leave more!


	3. Forgetting

A/N: Hi everyone, I normally try to reply to all my reviews individually but for some reason it isn't alerting me when I've had new ones so I can't remember who I have and haven't replied to. Taking that into account I'd just like to say a huge thank you to EVERYONE who's reviewed. They really mean a lot to me and give me the incentive to write the next chapter.

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Piper brought the car to a halt and glanced round at her surroundings. Pulling a map of the city from the glove box she opened it out and lay it down on the passenger seat. She took a small crystal which hung from a piece of thread from her pocket and began to swing it in small circles over the map. She smiled as the crystal dropped down on the same spot that it had back at the manor and folded the map back up.

It was an average looking alleyway really, same as all the others. Once you'd seen one alley, you'd seen them all. Same cardboard boxes stacked against the wall, same old dumpsters overflowing with rubbish, same damp smell… The only difference was, this alley had a warlock in it.

Piper walked slowly, wrinkling her nose at the smell of urine. "Come out, come out where ever you are…." She heard a scuffle further up and quickened her pace. Spotting the warlock she quickly flung out her arms and froze him then unfroze his head. She almost laughed at his confused expression. Almost.

"What did you do to me, witch?"

Piper frowned, "Less of the attitude. I want answers."

The warlock laughed nervously, "Whatever it is, I don't know anything. Just let me go…"

"You're a pretty wimpy warlock…" She walked round so that she was standing directly in front of him, "We're going to play a game. I'll ask you a question and whenever you don't answer me or I don't like your answer I'm going to blow a bit of you up. I'll start with your left arm. Who killed my sister?"

"P…Please… I don't know anything… "

"Wrong answer." Piper flicked her hand and the warlocks left arm explodes making him scream in pain. "Let's try again shall we… Who killed my sister?"

"I… I… don't know… I…."

Piper sighed in annoyance, "Wrong again." She blew up his right arm and flinched at the warlock's screech. "Yeah, that looks like it hurts a lot. You could save yourself a lot of pain if you just tell me."

"Go to hell!

Piper leant nearer to him so that he could see the haunted, dead look in her eyes, "I'm already there…" With that she flicked her hands one final time and vanquished the warlock.

"Piper…?" She heard Phoebe's voice but ignored her. Her head was pounding. She pressed her fingers to her temples and scrunched up her eyes in an attempt to block out the throbbing. She heard Phoebe call her name again and frowned in annoyance. Couldn't she leave her alone for five minutes? She opened her eyes in surprise. What was she thinking? She loved Phoebe.

_Clack, clack, clack._

Those shoes of hers were annoying though. Couldn't she wear something a bit more appropriate for vanquishing demons?

"Piper?" Phoebe's voice was right next to her now. It startled her a bit and she stumbled. When had she got so close? Phoebe reached out and steadied her. "Are you hurt?"

Piper straightened up and started walking back to the car. "I'm fine. Just a headache."

"Piper!" Phoebe hurried to keep up with her. "You need to slow down. You're going to make yourself ill. You don't sleep, you barely eat… "

"Neither do you!"

"Maybe we should just take a break for a while… All this demon hunting… It's wearing us down."

"Look, Phoebe, You stop if you want to but I'm not going to rest until our sister's killer is dead. Now if you'll excuse me, I have demons to vanquish."

Phoebe watched her get back into her car and drive off.

Cole suddenly shimmered in front of her, "Hey! Up for that picnic now?"

Phoebe felt a spark of annoyance and pushed past him, "Not now, Cole." She got into her car and headed back to the manor, leaving Cole standing alone.

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Piper lay in bed that night, her head still pounding. She'd vanquished a further three demons since she'd spoken to Phoebe. She wished she could numb the empty feeling inside of her. It was like a horrible, aching sorrow deep inside of her that she was constantly trying to suppress. She'd thought that vanquishing demons would help. That it would give her something to focus on rather than the loss but it seemed to be making it worse. She was beginning to think that she'd never find the demon responsible for ripping her family apart.

The house was so quiet. She had no idea what time it was, somewhere between midnight and morning. Leo wasn't back. She wouldn't blame him if he never came back. They rarely spoke anymore. He'd been spending more and more time with the Elders, trying to avoid a confrontation.

Phoebe and Cole were quiet now too. They'd been having a long, loud argument an hour or so ago. There'd been shouting, swearing, screaming… even a crash at one point but Piper hadn't bothered telling them to keep the noise down. It wasn't as if she could sleep anyway.

Finally working up the energy, she rolled onto her side and peered at the clock. 2am. Not as late as she'd thought. This night was dragging by so slowly…

Deciding that there was no point just lying there she got out of bed. She'd go to the attic. May as well make herself useful. As she opened her door and stepped out into the hallway she stubbed her toe hard and sank to the floor cursing loudly and glaring at the guilty doorframe.

Another door opened suddenly and Phoebe appeared wielding a slipper in her hand. She saw Piper on the floor and lowered her makeshift weapon, "Piper? You ok? Was it a demon?"

Piper got to her feet feeling foolish, "No. Just a doorframe and my toe." She looked at the slipper and snorted, "That would have been a fat lot of help if it had been a demon!"

Phoebe blushed, "Well it was the first thing I saw!" She sighed, "Me and Cole didn't keep you awake did we?"

"Yeah but it doesn't matter. I couldn't sleep anyway. I'm going up to the attic. You coming?"

"Yeah sure, I'm wide awake now anyway."

They climbed the small flight of stairs up to the attic. Phoebe sat down on the sofa while Piper went straight to the book. "So what was your fight about?" Piper started flipping through the book, stopping every now and then to scan the page.

"He says he's sick of me moping about. He wants me to start being the way I used to. It's like he expects me to just forget about Paige and I can't do that."

Piper began scribbling something down on a piece of paper, "So, tell him that."

"I did. That's how the argument started. He says I'm being unfair to him and that I've got to start acting like his girlfriend and stop being so…"

Piper suddenly interrupted her by slamming her fist down onto the book. "This is ridiculous!"

Phoebe looked alarmed, "Huh? What is?"

"Everything! Why can't I remember what the demon looks like?! He was there! Standing right in front of me! And I just can't picture him in my head at all! And it's getting worse! I can't even remember what happened properly! I don't remember him appearing or why he was there or anything!"

Phoebe frowned as she tried to remember. "I can't either… But… It's not just the demon… I can't remember Paige properly either. The sound of her voice… What she was wearing… It's like we're slowly forgetting all the information from that night. As if…"

Piper finished her sentence, "As if someone is trying to make us forget we ever had a sister."

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A/N: I don't really like this chapter, it doesn't seem to flow as well as the others and I feel like there's something missing. I hope you like it, leave me a review and tell me what you think. Thanks! xx


	4. Building Bridges

A/N: Come on guys! I need more reviews than this! I know the last chapter wasn't that good, hopefully this one's better. Enjoy!

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Leo orbed into the manor the next morning. He was exhausted, he'd been out all night with his new charge who didn't seem to understand that you cannot insult an upper level demon and not be attacked.

He went into the kitchen to see if Piper or Phoebe were there but the only person he saw was Cole washing up.

"Hey, morning."

Cole looked round and nodded at Leo, "Morning, been out all night?"

"Yeah, new charge, no brains, don't ask."

"If you're looking for Piper, I think she's in the attic." Cole turned back to the dishes.

Leo frowned, "You alright?"

Cole dried his hands on a tea towel deciding to leave the rest of the dishes until later, "Yeah sure, why?"

"I don't know… You just seem a little quiet…"

"Phoebe's just annoyed me that's all. She obsessed with hunting demons and she never has any time to spend with me. I'm starting to wonder why we even got back together."

"Well, She lost a sister, she's going to need some time to…"

"Don't give me that crap!" Cole took a deep breath, "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap it's just… She's been spouting that for weeks. Paige has been dead just over a month. Shouldn't she be trying to move on or something by now? I can understand Piper being this way, look at how she acted when Prue died, but Phoebe handled that better so what's so different this time? Surely it would be easier to move on considering they'd only known Paige a year or so."

"Yes but don't forget, Although Phoebe loved Prue dearly she still had another big sister to look up to. I'm not saying that Prue didn't matter to her or anything but it made it easier for her to move on. Paige was her only little sister and I guess Phoebe feels that it's unfair that she never really got to know her as well as she'd have liked to. Do you see what I'm saying?"

Cole sighed, "I guess so. I just wish she'd stop treating me like the enemy, I haven't done anything wrong. Everything I've ever done, I've done for her. For us."

Leo nodded, "I know how you feel." He turned and left the room.

Cole watched him go, "No you don't…"

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Leo went up to the attic and peeped round the door.

Phoebe was stretched out on the sofa and Piper was sitting in the armchair with the Book of Shadows on her lap. Both were fast asleep. Leo sighed, he guessed they'd been doing another all night demon hunt.

He crept over to Phoebe and brushed a strand of hair off her face then he picked up a blanket that was thrown over the back of the sofa and covered her with it gently.

Turning to his wife, he sighed. He wished he knew how to help her. He took the Book from her and placed it back on it's stand. He picked up another blanket and covered her with it before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

As he turned to leave he felt a hand grip his arm, stopping him. Turning back he saw Piper looking up at him. "Don't go," She whispered.

Leo held her hand and orbed them both to the bedroom. Piper lay down on the bed and snuggled up next to him, "I'm sorry…"

Leo wrapped his arms round her realising just how much he'd missed her. "I am too." He kissed her again then pulled the blanket over them both and they fell asleep in each others arms.

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Phoebe woke up and shivered. She wondered how long she'd been lying there. She glanced at the clock and saw it was late afternoon, almost teatime. Not surprising really. She and Piper hadn't fallen asleep until just as the sun was making it's way across the sky. Piper. Looking over at where her sister had been, she saw the empty chair. Guessing that she was off hunting demons again, Phoebe sighed and got to her feet. She stumbled slightly. She'd been in the same position for so long that her legs were stiff.

She shivered again, she didn't like the attic anymore. It used to be a comforting place. A safe place. A place where they all gathered at times of trouble but now… Now it was a cold room. An empty room. The whole place practically screamed death. She knew it would never be the same. Now it was just the place where her little sister had died.

She wandered over to the Book and picked it up. She needed a change of scenery. She slowly made her way down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. And this was where Grams had died. That horrible day when her heart had given out on her and she'd fallen down the stairs. She shook her head as if trying to erase the memories and continued down the hall towards the stairs.

Why couldn't she escape from it? Death. It was everywhere in this house. The attic, the bottom of the stairs, even downstairs. Downstairs where both Prue and Andy had met their deaths.

She changed direction and headed back up the hall. It was as if her legs had a mind of their own. She wasn't even fully aware of where she was going until she stopped. It was then that it registered. She was stood outside Paige's bedroom door.

Almost upon instinct she went to knock and then stopped feeling stupid. Neither Piper nor Phoebe had been in here since it happened. Raising a shaking hand she slowly pushed open the door and stepped into the room.

The first thing she saw was the suitcase, lying open on the bed. Phoebe frowned. She couldn't remember that ever being there.

(A/N: For those of you who don't remember why the suitcase is out or haven't read my first story, please refer to 'Revenge Is Bittersweet': Chapter 12)

She dumped the Book of Shadows on the floor and walked over to it slowly trailing her hand across the several pieces of Paige's clothing that were lying in there. She felt confused. By the looks of things, the clothes had just been thrown carelessly in as if someone had been in a rush whilst packing.

Looking over to the wardrobe she saw that some items of clothing were literally hanging off the hangers or lying in the bottom of the wardrobe in a crumpled heap.

Phoebe shivered, she didn't like the feeling she was getting from all this. She began to fold the clothes neatly and put everything back where it belonged. She didn't like them being out and messy. It was as if they were tainting a holy place or something.

She sat down on the floor and opened the Book. She had no idea what she was looking for. The only thing she and Piper had on the demon was that it was messing with their memories somehow.

"Help me out, Paige…" She wasn't sure what she expected to happen but she still waited with baited breath, hoping for something to happen. Anything!

Suddenly, making her jump, a cold wind whipped round the room. It whirled round the Book and made the pages flip over onto Cole's page.

Phoebe could remember writing that. It was when she thought Cole had gone back to evil. She'd written a page about Cole in case he tried to trick any future generations into falling in love with him. Of course, it turned out that he'd been tricked by his old mentor.

She ran her hand over the page and stroked the photo of her and Cole that she'd stuck in.

She gave the room a small smile, "Thanks sis, you're right. I need to spend some time with him. I haven't been fair. He tried to save you and I've been treating him like crap for ages."

Closing the Book, she left the room and shut the door quietly behind her.

If she'd stayed for a couple of seconds longer she may have been aware of the wind whipping up again, more violently this time as if in protest, and the faint words echoing through the air.

"…Save me…"

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Phoebe entered the kitchen and saw Cole cooking some sort of pasta dish.

He looked up as she approached and smiled at her, "Hi stranger!"

She walked round the counter to him and threw her arms around his neck, "I love you…"

Cole smiled and ran his hand through her hair, "I'm glad." He was pleasantly surprised when she pulled him in for a passionate kiss and he returned it with equal enthusiasm. Eventually she broke away with a smile. She looked into the pan and sniffed it appreciatively, "Is there enough for two?" 

Cole smiled and dipped his finger into the sauce before bringing it to her lips to taste, "Always."

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A/N: Time to review! Let me know what you like, what you don't like, even what you'd like to happen... I'm all ears... Well, eyes lol...


	5. Memories

A/N: There's going to be a few mentions of rape and abuse in this chapter. If you don't like reading that sort of thing then please don't. It's just a few memories from my previous story.

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A few days later…

The front door slammed shut as Phoebe and Cole entered the manor, hand in hand. They'd been out for lunch at one of their favourite cafes and were back to their usual gooey eyed, love struck selves.

Piper came rushing out of the kitchen ready to blow up whatever it was that was attacking them. She stopped when she saw who it was and looked irritated.

"Phoebe! You should know better than to slam doors in this house!" She stopped when she saw the pair of them exchange a loving look. "You two look happy. Nice date?"

Phoebe tore her eyes away from her boyfriend to look at her sister, "Sorry, Piper, we didn't mean to scare you. And as for the date…" She left her sentence unfinished as she turned back to Cole and kissed him passionately.

"Yeah, ok, eww!" Piper walked back to the kitchen and sat down. There was a writing pad out on the table. Picking up her pen, she continued with what she'd been doing. She scribbled down a couple more lines and then re-read what she'd written. "Yeah, that should do it."

Leo orbed into the kitchen and smiled at her, "How're you doing?" After the other night they'd spent nearly two hours talking and were finally almost back to normal as well.

"I'm ok… Actually I've come up with a spell…"

Leo narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "What kind of spell? What does it do?"

Piper went on to explain how Phoebe and herself were struggling to recall certain facts about the night Paige had died. "And it's getting worse! Everyday I wake up remembering less… That's what gave me the idea to write a memory spell. To help us remember everything we've forgotten. It could really help us find out which demon is responsible."

Leo read the spell over her shoulder, "Well, I think before you do anything you should discuss this with Phoebe. Do you want me to go and get her?"

"Yes please although you may want to take a crowbar with you… Those two are probably still in lip locking mode."

Leo grinned and went off in search of Phoebe.

Piper read the spell through a couple more times making sure there were no mistakes. Even the tiniest mistake could result in huge consequences. She smiled as she remembered when Phoebe had once cast a spell to help them find their innocent and everything that was ever lost throughout their entire lives reappeared including their old dog and about fifty gazillion pairs of socks.

Phoebe eventually entered the room, yawning.

"Tired?"

Phoebe smiled dreamily, "I had a late night…" Piper raised her hand cutting her off mid-sentence.

"Okie doke! I don't need to know anything else!"

Sitting down at the table she looked enquiringly at Piper, "So, Leo said you had a spell?"

"Yeah, it's not my best work or anything but it should help us remember everything."

"Remember what?"

Piper stared at her, "Well, what the hell do you think? Help us remember who killed our sister!"

Phoebe looked bored, "Oh that…"

Piper's mouth opened and closed a few times reminding Phoebe of a goldfish. She didn't know how to react. Suddenly Phoebe looked horrified.

"Oh my God! I'm such a horrible sister! I don't know why I said that or acted like that. It was like something took over and made me feel like none of that mattered!"

"What do you mean, something took over?"

"Well, normally whenever we discuss Paige I feel like bursting into tears or something but just then it was like something completely numbed my emotions. Do you think whoever's messing with our memories is kicking it up a notch?"

"Could be… Ok, I don't know about you but I say we go to the attic and say the spell now before things get any worse." Phoebe nodded in agreement and they headed to the stairs.

Cole came out of the living room as they were halfway up. "Phoebe? Where are you going?"

"I'll be back soon, We have a spell to cast."

Worry passed over Cole's features for a split second but he righted himself quickly, "What kind of spell?"

She smiled sweetly at him, "Nothing for you to worry about. I won't be long." She turned back to the stairs but Cole caught up with her and grabbed her arm.

"I don't want you to…"

Piper came down a few steps so she was standing next to her sister, "Why not?"

Cole thought quickly, "Well, If you're summoning a demon, you could get hurt. It's time you stopped with all the demon hunting. You're not the Power of Three anymore."

Piper glared at him, "Well, thanks for the reminder, Cole. I'm so glad you told me otherwise I'd have failed to notice." She turned and stomped up the stairs, blowing up a light fixture as she went.

Phoebe looked at Cole angrily, "You couldn't have been a bit more sensitive about that could you?!"

"Phoebe, I'm sorry… I'm just worried. You know I love you. I'd do anything for you. Anything!"

Her expression softened, "I know but you don't need to worry. We're not summoning any demons. At least… Not yet…"

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek then turned and hurried up the stairs after Piper.

She entered the attic and saw Piper crouched on the floor standing a bunch of candles upright in a large circle.

Phoebe noted how thin and pale Piper was. She had a few scars on her face from recent demon encounters that she had refused to let Leo heal. She sighed knowing that she probably didn't look much better. She was glad that Piper and Leo were back on speaking terms but she knew that Piper was still obsessed with finding the mystery demon.

She and Cole were back on full form now but there were still a few patchy areas in their relationship. She didn't like how dismissive he was about what had happened. How could he not want to find the killer? Unless this was just his way of dealing with it… After all, he'd tried so hard to save Paige. He'd attempted to kill the demon and he'd tried to breath life back into her but with no luck. He must feel terrible she thought to herself.

She'd been so unfair to him! All those psychology classes and she hadn't realise that this could be his way of grieving. She decided then and there that as soon as they'd cast the memory spell she'd go straight downstairs and apologise.

"Can you get the lighter?" Piper's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Yeah. Sure." Phoebe crossed the room to the chest where they kept everything required for spells and potions and pulled out the lighter. She crouched next to the first candle and lit it, glancing at Piper as she did so.

Piper noticed her staring and gave her a questioning look, "What is it?"

Phoebe stood up properly, "Erm… I'm not really sure how to say this…" Phoebe looked at the floor feeling awkward.

"How to say what? Spit it out…"

"I'm not sure we should do this spell…"

Piper looked shocked, "What the hell do you mean?! Don't you want to find out who was responsible?"

"Of course I do! I'm just… I'm just scared…" Phoebe's eyes filled with tears and Piper, looking concerned, walked over to her and stood facing her.

"Pheebs? What are you scared of? The demon? I swear I won't let it hurt you." Piper's concern almost reduced Phoebe to tears. Noticing this, Piper held out her arms embraced her younger sister, holding her tightly, "What's wrong?"

"I just don't want to lose you… I'm so scared that once all this is over and the demon is gone, that there won't be anything left keeping us together anymore." Phoebe started to cry, "I love you so much but since Paige… We don't act like sisters anymore and at the minute the only thing keeping us together is the thought of vanquishing the demon. Once it's gone… What will be left? Are we just going to keep drifting further and further apart? Because if we are, I don't think I can handle that!" Phoebe broke down properly and Piper held her close.

"Phoebe, I admit things have been difficult between us since it happened but I still love you. I'm sorry I haven't been there for you as much as I used to be but I promise that as soon as all this is over with I'll do everything in my power to repair our relationship. You mean everything to me, you're my baby sister… And nothing will ever change that!"

Phoebe clung to her like a child and Piper stroked her hair soothing her. She hadn't realised how much strain Phoebe had been under. Thinking back on it she realised how stupid she'd been. She'd been concentrating so hard on one sister that she'd completely forgotten about the needs of another sister.

When Phoebe's sobs started to subside, Piper pulled away from her. She kissed her on the cheek and wiped the tears from her face. She smiled reassuringly at Phoebe, "Everything's going to be ok… We just need to have a little faith."

Phoebe took a shaky breath, trying to calm herself. She felt remarkably better after that little crying session although she knew it had more to do with Piper's big sister comforting. She quickly lit the remaining candles and then stood in the middle of the circle.

Piper held out her hands to Phoebe who took them in her own. "You ready?" Phoebe nodded and they began to recite the spell.

(A/N: Ok, I didn't make this spell up, I used the one from Charmed, Season Six, Episode 'Forget Me… Not'.)

"_Moments lost make witches wonder_

_Warlocks plot or Demons plunder_

_If this is not a prank_

_Help us to fill in the blanks."_

Bright lights appeared above them and whirled round before hurling themselves into the sister's heads. Piper and Phoebe both dropped to their knees as the memories replayed themselves.

_Flashback_

_As Phoebe turned towards the stairs Paige orbed in. She was covered in bruises, her clothes were torn and bloody, and she was swaying slightly. "Oh my God! Paige! What happened??"_

_Paige opened her mouth to speak but pain and exhaustion took over and she collapsed. Phoebe darted forward and caught her before she hit her head on the floor. She positioned herself so that Paige's head was cradled in her lap. "Paige? Sweetie, can you hear me?"_

_End flashback_

_Flashback_

"_Hello?"_

"_Piper, it's Phoebe. Listen to me, I've just had a premonition. A very bad premonition. About Paige."_

_Piper instantly stopped what she was doing, "What did you see?" Her heart pounded in her chest and waited with baited breath, not wanting to hear what Phoebe had to say but forcing herself to listen._

"_She was with Cole, he was raping her." _

"_Where?"_

"_At his apartment but it hasn't happened yet so she's probably still at home"_

"_I'll meet you at the manor." Hanging up, Piper grabbed her jacket and ran to her car praying that she got there in time._

_End flashback_

_Flashback_

_The first thing they saw was Paige's broken, bleeding body sprawled naked across the floor. They rushed over to her but Paige shuffled away from them with a frightened whimper. They could see that she had several broken bones and was bleeding heavily in several places._

_Piper took her jacket off and approached her youngest sister slowly trying not to frighten her anymore than she already was. "It's okay, sweetheart, we're not going to hurt you." Her voice broke and she struggled to swallow back her tears. They were too late. She'd never forgive herself. She'd promised her baby sister that she wouldn't let him hurt her anymore. She'd failed her._

_End flashback_

_Flashback_

_He shimmered from the room and reappeared a few moments later holding Paige by the hair. He flung her to the ground in front of the force field that Phoebe and Piper were trapped behind._

_Paige tried to get back up but he kicked her to the ground. "Say goodbye to your sisters." Paige whimpered and tried once more to get up. He kicked her again, harder this time. "Say it!"_

_When Paige spoke, her voice was barely louder than a whisper, "Goodbye, I love you both."_

_He ignited an energy ball in his hand…_

_End Flashback_

The lights disappeared suddenly making them both gasp for breath. Piper raised her head shakily and looked at Phoebe.

Phoebe was still gasping for breath as tears poured down her face.

In a voice barely above a whisper she said, "I remember everything now… It was Cole…."

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A/N: Time to review:-)


	6. Aftershock

A/N: His guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I meant to do it the other day but never got round to it. Anyway, here's the next chapter I hope you like it. Don't forget to review!

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They seemed to have swapped roles in the last couple of minutes. Phoebe was now the hysterical one, crying uncontrollably and pacing the room like a caged animal while Piper was acting more calm and sensible, trying to get her little sister to listen to her.

"Maybe it wasn't him… I mean… It's possible isn't it? Maybe the demon responsible has… has messed up the spell somehow and made us remember something that didn't happen."

Piper tried to reason with her, "Honey, the spell was legit… If there was another demon then they wouldn't have had time to mess with it because we cast it almost as soon as it was written."

Phoebe's face crumpled, "How c.. could he? He… It was… No!" Phoebe sunk to her knees sobbing, "She was my baby sister and he… How could I not…?" Her voice broke off as she was overcome with emotion.

Piper knelt next to her and gently rubbed small circles on her back, "It's ok, honey… Just breathe… Ssh… Come on, sweetie, try and calm down…"

In truth, Piper was furious and wanted to murder Cole but she knew that he was extremely powerful and that they needed a plan. But the first thing she needed was Phoebe thinking clearly. She wrapped her arms round her and rocked her.

Phoebe's sobs lessened as she allowed her older sister to soothe her. "How could I not have know? Why didn't I get a premonition or something? Oh God! I've been sharing a bed with my sister's killer!" As this thought hit her she felt bile rise up in the back of her throat and ran to the bathroom. She only just got there in time.

Piper hurried after her and held her hair away from her face as she emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet. When she was done she fetched her a glass of water and sat down next to her.

When she was sure that Phoebe was calm enough to listen, Piper spoke in a quiet voice, "Honey, listen to me… We can't let Cole find out that we know. He's dangerous. He's already killed our sister, who knows what he'd do if he found out. We need to act normal around him while we try and figure out a plan."

"What's to figure out? We just vanquish him!"

"Well, I don't know about you but I don't know how to. I mean, the spell was supposed to make us see who was responsible. So that's all it showed us. It showed us the attacks, it showed us his attempts and it showed us…"

Phoebe finished the sentence for her. "And it showed us her death"

Piper nodded, "But it didn't show us how to vanquish him. Maybe we never figured that out."

Phoebe started crying quietly again, "Oh God, Piper. I could feel her fear. It was so horrible! He… He raped her! She was going to leave because she thought we'd be ashamed of her!" Piper didn't say anything. There was no need to, she already knew everything her sister was saying. She'd felt it too. Phoebe closed her eyes, "He raped her simply because he knew she'd been abused as a teenager and he wanted her to be scared."

"I know."

Phoebe looked at her, seeing the angry tears that were threatening to fall. She knew that Piper was just trying to hold it together for her and she was grateful. "You say not to raise his suspicions but I don't want to sleep in the same room as him. How am I supposed to act normal around him?"

"You can sleep in with me. We'll just tell him that we doing some overdue sister bonding. But, Pheebs, You've got to try and act normal around him. I know it's hard, it's hard for me too, but if we don't… If we raise any suspicion then he could re-cast that memory spell and we'd be back where we started. With no memory of what happened."

"Ok… So, what do we do now?"

"Maybe we could summon Grams or Mom… They'll know what to do."

Phoebe nodded in agreement and stood up, pulling Piper to her feet. As she was walking out the door, she stopped suddenly making Piper crash into her.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"She tried to tell me…" Phoebe put her hand to her head trying to dull the headache that was starting to appear.

"What do you mean? When?"

"I went to her room the other day, I took the Book of Shadows with me. That's when I should have realised something was wrong. Her suitcase was out on the bed. Remember? From when she was going to leave after Cole had attacked her again. But I just dismissed it and put everything away. Anyway, I was sitting there talking to her and I asked her for help. The next thing I know the pages are flipping and it opens on Cole's page. I should have known but I thought she wanted me to go and make up with him."

Piper rested her hand on Phoebe's shoulder, "You had no way of knowing. All we could remember was Cole trying to save her so the thought of him killing her never even crossed our minds."

"I still can't help feeling responsible…" Phoebe left the bathroom and climbed the stairs back up to the attic. They walked over to the Book even though they knew this spell off by heart.

"_Hear my words, _

_Hear my cry,_

_Spirit from the other side._

_Come to me,_

_I summon thee,_

_Cross now the great divide."_

Swirling light appeared and took the form of a person. As the lights faded and they saw who was standing there they gave a gasp of surprise.

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A/N: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. I promise the next one will be longer... by the way, reviews make me write more! lol


	7. A Welcome Visitor

"Prue…?" Piper's voice was barely louder than a whisper.

Prue smiled and took a step forward. Her body materialised properly and became solid, "Yes, Piper, it's me."

Piper let out a choked sob and ran at her big sister. She flung her arms round her neck, enveloping her in a hug. There were tears running down her face as she clung to her for dear life. "I've missed you so much…"

"I know sweetie, I've missed you too. But I didn't go far. I'm always watching over you."

Phoebe hung back letting Piper have her moment. As soon as Piper moved away wiping her eyes, Prue turned to Phoebe and opened her arms. Phoebe ran to her and hugged her tightly, hardly daring to believe that she was really here.

"It's been so hard without you!"

"I know baby, but you've managed well."

Piper snorted, "Hardly. Do you not get the news up there? Paige is…"

She cut her off, "Gone. I know."

Phoebe sniffed and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, "Is it true? Was it Cole?"

Prue nodded sadly, "I'm afraid so… I'm so sorry Pheebs." Phoebe didn't say anything but a few more tears leaked out.

"How come you never came before?" Piper looked at her accusingly, "I tried to summon you so many times but you never came!"

"I know. That's because you were just trying to hold on to my memory. If I'd come then that would have been keeping me alive for you and it would have prevented you from moving on. However, this time you needed me. You have to save Paige. And to do that you need me to remind you how to vanquish Cole."

Piper looked confused, "What do you mean 'save Paige'? We can't save her. She's dead. She's been dead for over a month. How can we save her from that?"

"That's true, she is dead. But she was killed in cold blood which has made her a trapped spirit, cursed to spend an eternity never being able to move on. To be stuck in between worlds. It was different for me. I died protecting an innocent which got me an automatic pass into heaven. However she needs to be avenged before she can move on. Her soul can't rest in peace while her murderer walks free."

Phoebe frowned trying to keep up with what her sister was saying, "But Prue, our job is to save the innocent. Not punish the guilty."

Prue shook her head impatiently, "Cole's a danger to everyone. He's become completely obsessed with you and will do whatever it takes to keep you. He blamed Paige for splitting you two up so he killed her. But first he made her suffer. He beat her, tortured her… raped her. He thought that what he was doing was justified and that it was her punishment. He needs to be vanquished. Paige can't move on until her tormenter is finally stopped."

Piper nodded, "How do we vanquish him? Did we come up with a way?"

"Actually, Paige did. She thought that if you mixed your three strongest vanquishing potions together, and add some of Cole's blood, then that would be strong enough. She was right. It would be. The hard part is doing it undetected. If Cole finds out what you're doing he will do everything in his power to stop you."

Prue turned to Phoebe who was struggling not to cry, "I know this is hard on you. It's something no-one should have to go through. Killing the person you love. But this has to be done…"

Phoebe nodded tearfully, "I know. I did love him… maybe I still do on some level. Love can't just disappear after all… But what he's done is unforgivable. She was my baby sister and he destroyed her. Now we're going to destroy him."

"I know you're blaming yourself on some level. I know he killed her to be with you but you need to know that none of this is your fault. There was nothing you could have done. However there is something you can do now. Kill Cole. Don't let Paige's death be for nothing. You need to free her spirit." Prue glanced upwards, "I have to go."

Piper and Phoebe hugged her, relishing the feel of their big sister's arms round them.

Piper pulled away and wiped away her tears, "We'll miss you."

Prue smiled sadly, "I won't be far."

With that she faded away into white lights and then disappeared.

Neither of them said anything for a few minutes. They were both still overwhelmed with seeing Prue. Phoebe sank down onto the sofa and Piper sat next to her, linking her arm through Phoebe's.

Phoebe gave her a small smile.

"What?"

"Nothing… It's just nice sitting here like this. I miss us being all sisterly. Even if it does have to be under bad circumstances."

Piper looked ashamed, "I know. Me too. I meant what I said earlier… I'm really sorry for not being there for you these past few weeks. I was just so obsessed with hunting demons and everything. I'm going to make it up to you though, I promise."

As she finished speaking she couldn't stop a thought that crept into her head ,'You made Paige a promise too. You promised you'd protect her. You promised you wouldn't let anything happen to her. You lied. You failed her!'

She shook her head trying to rid herself of the guilty feeling. She realised that Phoebe was speaking to her and turned her concentration to her.

"… It'll take some time but we can do it. Besides, I haven't exactly been the model sister either, Piper. I should have been more supportive. I was too blinded by guilt and sorrow to realise that the demon you… we… were hunting was right under my nose."

"You heard what Prue said, Phoebe, You have nothing to feel guilty about."

Phoebe smiled, "It was so good to see her…"

Piper took hold of Phoebe's hand and went to stand up, "Come on, we need to…" She stopped short as they heard footsteps coming up the attic stairs. The door swung open and Cole stepped into the room.

"Hey guys… What's taking so long?" He turned to Phoebe, "I thought we were going to spend the evening together?"

Piper felt Phoebe stiffen beside her and squeezed her hand warningly.

Phoebe took a deep breath and forced a smile, "Actually, I promised Piper I'd help her follow up on a new lead."

Cole frowned, "No, you promised me we'd spend some quality time together. What's gotten into you? I thought you were past all this demon hunting? You've got to move on or it'll consume you."

Piper felt Phoebe's hand start to get clammy and decided to speak for her, "Look Cole, we've just had a heart to heart talk and we just need to spend some time together. We haven't been acting very sisterly lately and it's got to change. We need to have some long overdue sister bonding time."

Cole raised one eyebrow, "You call vanquishing demons 'sister bonding'?"

"Well, it's a start…"

He huffed in annoyance, "I'm getting sick of this!" He stormed out of the attic and Phoebe released her breath, which she hadn't realised she'd been holding.

Piper put an arm round her and kissed her on the head, "It's ok, he's gone. Well done. You did well."

"Let's just get on with the potions. He shouldn't come back up for a while. He's pissed off."

"Good idea."

Getting to their feet they walked over to the Book of Shadows and opened it.

They'd finally found their demon.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter, leave me a review ! xx


	8. Revelations

A/N: I meant to get this chapter up yesterday but I didn't finish writing it until late last night and by then I was just too tired. It's here now though! There will be spoilers in this chapter for the episodes: 'Y Tu Mummy Tambien' and 'Sam I Am'.

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Piper threw a handful of shredded mandrake root into the pot, jumping when it made a small bang. She glanced over at Phoebe, who had dozed off on the couch about an hour ago, to see if it had woken her but she merely groaned and rolled over.

She couldn't even begin to imagine what her sister was feeling at the minute. On one hand she obviously wanted to vanquish the demon responsible for murdering Paige but on the other she was going to have to face killing her boyfriend. Although she denied it, Piper knew that Phoebe still had feelings for Cole. She loved him… at least on some level. Feelings like that couldn't just go away, no matter what.

Picking up a small, glass vile, she filled it full of the red potion before putting a cork in the end. That was the second vanquishing potion complete. They'd mix an equal amount of each into a vial once the third one was made.

She went back to the book and flipped through it trying to find the third potion. As she turned one of the pages she saw the page for Cole that Phoebe had written ages ago… back when Prue was alive and they didn't even know about Paige yet.

'_Cole likes walks in the park, jazz and fine wine.'_

Piper smiled slightly remembering how Prue had ridiculed what Phoebe had written. She didn't think that any of that stuff would be helpful.

That had been a pretty hectic time if she remembered rightly. The very same day that Phoebe had written this she'd turned into a banshee, Prue had turned into a dog and Piper had locked herself in the basement because she couldn't control her new exploding power.

It had also been the time that Cole had convinced Phoebe that he wasn't evil.

Piper remembered what happened. He'd killed a witch. An innocent. But he told Phoebe that his old mentor had tricked him with a spell to make him do it, as well as blackmailed him with his Father's soul. Prue didn't believe a word of it but Phoebe did. She'd never told them what was said exactly but whatever it was, it had convinced her. Eventually, Cole's demonic half was vanquished leaving him completely human.

Paige and Cole had never really got along. She'd always suspected he was still evil and in a way she'd been right. After they'd vanquished The Source it had taken over Cole and slowly destroyed the humanity in him. Phoebe had turned evil for a while too but that was mainly because she was under the influence of her demonic baby.

She soon saw sense though and helped Piper and Paige to vanquish him. It had caused her so much pain. She'd cried for days and they'd had no idea how to comfort her other than just be there.

Her baby had then been vanquished after the Seer stole it. Although Phoebe didn't say anything, Piper knew how upset she'd been.

When Cole came back from the demonic wasteland he tried hard to prove to Phoebe that he was good. He wanted her back so badly but she wasn't having any of it. She didn't want anything to do with him.

Cole obviously blamed Paige for everything. It was her that had suspected he was evil right from the start. And it was her that had convinced Piper and Phoebe about it too. As far as he was concerned, if Paige hadn't of interfered then he and Phoebe would still be together.

He tried to get rid of her by teaming up with a Darklighter and making him invincible before sending him after her. She and Leo had both been shot with the poison coated arrows. Luckily they managed to get Sam, Paige's Dad, to heal them in time.

Then there was the time he tried to get rid of her by letting an Egyptian demon take over her body and letting Phoebe get mummified. Then he left it up to Piper, to choose between them. To choose which one lived and which one died. Of course, he'd been banking on her choosing to let Phoebe live considering she'd known her longer and that Paige was only her half sistr. What he didn't count on however was that although Piper had known Phoebe longer, she loved her sisters equally and wouldn't choose between them.

And then he'd finally decided to do his dirty work himself. And he'd succeeded. He'd finally managed to kill the youngest Charmed one. Then he'd cast a spell to make them think he was the hero. He was convinced that he was doing it for love but this wasn't love! His infatuation for Phoebe had turned into an obsession. He wanted her and he'd do anything to get her. Even kill her sister.

Piper shook herself from her thoughts and turned a few more pages before the sound of footsteps distracted her. Looking up she saw her husband walking into the room. She pressed a finger to her lips and nodded in Phoebe's direction. Leo signalled for her to follow him and left the room again.

She exited the attic and stood outside the doorway, "What's wrong? Is it the Elders? Now's not really a good time."

"No, it's not the Elders. I just wanted to know how the spell went earlier."

Piper sighed miserably, "Well… It worked… We remember everything."

"What do you remember? What happened?" Leo looked confused then shocked as Piper quickly explained everything to him. "Cole did it?? Are you sure? I mean, what if whoever's messing with your minds messed up the spell somehow?"

She shook her head, "Phoebe thought that to start with but we summoned Prue and she confirmed everything. I'm making the vanquishing potions now."

"How does Phoebe feel about all this?"

"Well, how do you think? She's just found out that the man she loves killed her sister! She's heartbroken, distraught, scared and feeling very guilty. She helped me for a bit but I made her go to sleep. She just looked so tired and drained."

"Wouldn't she be comfier in her own bed?"

"Probably but I'm not letting her share a bed with him! He's dangerous and we need to keep him as far away from her as possible. Do you think you could keep an eye on him and distract him if necessary?"

"Sure."

Piper smiled sadly and gave him a quick kiss before going back into the attic.

Leo walked slowly down the attic stairs and stood for a moment thinking.

"So, now they know…" His features blurred for a moment as he morphed back into Cole. "This could be a problem…"

Leo appeared from round the corner, "Hey, you ok?"

Cole smiled, "Yeah I'm fine, what's up?"

"I have to go see the Elders about my new charge. She's still not listening to me about demons and it's getting her into trouble. Can you let the girls know and make sure they're ok?"

"Yeah sure, no problem." Leo smiled an orbed out. Cole's features darkened as he glanced back up the attic stairs, " I won't let them out of my sight."

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A/N: Dun, dun, duuuuh! lol, ok, leave me a review and tell me what you think!


	9. Under Pressure

Phoebe was awake when Piper re-entered the attic. She was examining the small potion-filled vial which was stood on the table but looked up as Piper approached her.

"Are we sure this will work? What if it doesn't?"

"It will. It was Paige's idea and you know how good she was at making potions. Besides, Prue already told us that it will work and she's never let us down before."

Phoebe nodded and took a shaky breath, "What if Cole interferes?"

"You don't need to worry about that. I just spoke to Leo and told him everything, he promised to keep Cole out of the way." She smiled at Phoebe reassuringly, "Everything's going to be fine. We're going to vanquish him, Paige will be able to move on and then we'll be able to move on too. It'll be hard but once we know that Paige is at peace we can begin our healing process. And we can repair our relationship too."

The younger woman sniffed tearfully, "You don't know that. How are we supposed to move on? I can't imagine continuing without her. It was different when we were trying to find out who was responsible... Now that we know, now that the end is in sight… We're going to have to finally face up to the fact that she's gone. How can we deal with that?"

Piper brushed a strand of loose hair from her sister's face, "We thought we wouldn't be able to move on when Prue died, remember? But we did. It was hard but we made it."

"Yeah but we had Paige. She came into our lives right as Prue left and she helped us. Without her I don't know where we'd be. I'd probably be Queen of the Underworld and you'd probably still be a Fury. She pulled the family back together and now there's no-one." Phoebe's voice broke and she struggled to hold back her tears.

"You're right. We did have Paige then. But we still have each other and I'm going to help you through everything… But I need to know that you'll be there to help me." Piper's own eyes were filling up with tears now, "I need you to be there for me too because I can't do it without you, Pheebs…"

Phoebe opened her arms and let Piper lean into her. She wrapped her arms round her, stroking her hair and kissing her on the side of the head. "Of course I'll be there. You're my sister and nothing can ever change that." She held her for what seemed like hours but could only have been ten minutes or so. Eventually Piper pulled away reluctantly.

"As much as I hate to say it, I think we should go to bed and leave the last potion until tomorrow. It's been an emotional day for us and I've got a feeling tomorrow's going to be just as bad."

Phoebe nodded in agreement and they locked the two potions inside a wooden trunk. They made their way quietly down the attic stairs and headed to Piper's room.

They opened the door expecting to see Leo but were surprised to find the room empty.

Piper looked around in confusion, "He must be filling the Elders in on what I said… Unless he's downstairs distracting Cole. I thought he'd be in bed by now."

"Are you sure he won't mind me sleeping in here? I mean, where's he going to sleep?"

"Of course he won't mind. He understands the situation. He'll probably sleep downstairs on the sofa or stay up in Elder land."

"Ok, I'll just grab my pyjamas out of my room and I'll be right back." She hurried quietly from the room.

Piper got changed quickly and ran her brush through her long hair. She tied it back into a ponytail to stop it getting knotted during the night then climbed into bed and snuggled under the covers. She felt her eyelids droop instantly and she yawned, suddenly realising how tired she was. She shuffled up the bed a bit and pulled herself into a sitting position to stop herself falling asleep before Phoebe got back.

Phoebe got changed into a pair of long pyjamas and combed her hair. She glanced round the room to make sure there was nothing else she'd be needing and her gaze fell upon the picture of her, Piper and Paige that stood on her bedside table. Except… That's what it used to be. Now it was just a picture of her and Piper. The spot where Paige had been was empty. She frowned and picked it up wondering whether this had something to do with Cole. Suddenly she was pulled into a premonition.

_Cole marched into the attic with an angry scowl on his face. He shouted something which she couldn't quite hear and formed an energy ball in his hand. She saw Piper crouched on the floor next to an unconscious Leo who appeared to have a Darklighter's arrow sticking through his stomach. She could see her sister crying and felt her grief. She could see herself trapped behind a force field and felt a wave of helplessness and despair wash over her as Cole flung the energy ball at Piper, killing her instantly._

She came out of the vision, gasping for breath and feeling sick. The picture lay on the floor, the frame smashed. She must have dropped it when she was having the premonition. She couldn't believe what she'd seen. She had to tell Piper! She turned towards the door but saw Cole standing in her way.

He smiled at her, "Ready for bed?"

She opened her mouth to reply but no sound came out. She just couldn't seem to form any words. The vision was playing itself over and over again in her mind.

Cole frowned and raised his voice a little, "Phoebe! Are you coming to bed?" When she didn't answer again he strode over to her and seized her by the shoulders, shaking her, "Answer me, damn it!"

"Actually, Cole, She's sleeping in my room tonight." Phoebe almost passed out from relief as she heard Piper's voice from the doorway.

He let go of Phoebe and turned to face her, "Excuse me?"

Piper forced herself to smile at him, "Yeah it' been an emotional day. Like I said earlier, we finally sat down and had a heart to heart talk about everything. As you probably noticed, this whole thing with Paige… It kind of pushed us apart and we're trying to repair any damage to or relationship that it may have caused. We're just going to have a girly sleepover in my room and spend the night chatting and stuff. Is that ok?"

Cole looked irritated but nodded, "Fine." He turned back to Phoebe, "When you finally decide you want to spend some time with me, let me know." He glared at her then shimmered out angrily.

Phoebe let out a sob as Piper rushed over to her and held her.

"Ssh… It's ok… What happened? Did he hurt you?"

Phoebe shook her head and tried to get her crying under control, "No… I had a premonition… He killed you…"

Piper tried not to panic as she tried to process what Phoebe had just told her, "What do you mean he kills me? Why? How? When?"

"I don't know why. He was angry but I don't know what about. He threw an energy ball at you, Leo was lying on the ground… He'd been shot with a Darklighter's arrow. I was trapped behind a force field…."

"You mean like the one we were trapped behind when he killed Paige?"

"Yeah, exactly like it."

"Ok when does this happen?"

Phoebe shrugged, and wiped her eyes on her sleeve, "I don't know, It was daytime. I couldn't see a clock or anything but it looked around late afternoon, early evening… I can't lose you too Piper… I don't think I'd survive…"

Piper hugged her again, "I'll never leave you, I promise…" Her big sister instincts took over as she felt Phoebe's body start to shake with sobs again, "Ok, listen to me. Whenever this premonition of yours is supposed to happen it obviously won't be tonight so I think we should go to bed now and come up with a plan tomorrow." Phoebe opened her mouth to argue but Piper cut her off, "No buts! You're exhausted. Both physically as well as emotionally. I am too. The best thing we can do at the moment is get a good nights sleep."

Phoebe let Piper lead her into the bedroom then she crawled under the covers on the bed and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Piper lay down next to her and held her close feeling an overwhelming desire to shield her from anymore heartache. She fell asleep a couple of minutes later, her arm draped protectively round Phoebe's sleeping form.

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A/N: Time to press the pretty button and leave me a review!


	10. Premonitions And Potions

A/N: Wow! My longest chapter yet in this story. Hope you enjoy it, thanks for all your reviews, keep them coming!

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When Phoebe woke up the next day she saw that Piper was gone. She panicked, remembering her premonition and ran up to the attic. Breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Piper stood by the Book of Shadows she approached her and spoke softly.

"You scared me."

Piper looked up at the sound of sister's voice, "What do you mean?"

"I was worried when I woke up and you weren't there."

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't sleep so I thought I may as well get up and make myself useful." She turned the page and continued reading. Phoebe peered over her shoulder at the page she was reading and frowned.

"Honey, why are you reading about antidotes?"

"I was hoping I could find something to help Leo… In case your vision plays out."

"Don't even go there… My vision is not going to happen. We're not going to let it." She looked at Piper properly and noticed the dark circles under her eyes, "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Not much, I couldn't stop thinking about your premonition. I've been up since 5am."

"What time is it now?"

Piper glanced at her watch, "It's just gone 12. You slept in late."

"Well, I haven't been sleeping well for weeks now. I guess it finally caught up with me." She paused and looked anxious, "What if the vision happens today? If it does then we haven't got long, a few hours or so…"

"Well then we'd better get on with that last potion. Can you grab the other two out of the trunk?"

As Piper flipped to the right page in the book, Phoebe crossed the room to the old wooden chest and went to open it. She was surprised to find that it was already unlocked. Swinging the lid open she rummaged through the contents and tried not to panic when she saw that the vials were gone.

"Piper, did you move the vials?"

Piper looked up from the book and frowned, "No, why?"

"They're not in here…"

"What do you mean they're not there? We locked them in." She walked over to where Phoebe was crouched and helped her sift through the various items. Eventually she slammed the lid shut and cursed loudly.

Phoebe looked at her nervously, "Do you think Cole…?"

"How could he know?" She stared at her sister accusingly, "Did you tell him?!"

"What?! No! Of course I didn't!"

Piper looked angry, "Well how else would he know??"

Phoebe stood up looking annoyed, "I don't know! But I haven't said a word to him! Why are you blaming me for this?!"

"Maybe because you're the one screwing our sister's killer!"

There was a moment of stunned silence.

Eventually Piper spoke, "Pheebs… I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it. I know that wasn't fair."

Phoebe didn't reply for a minute. She was hurt at what Piper had said. "You're right. It wasn't. I didn't know that it was Cole who had killed Paige, if I had do you really think I'd have taken him back? The only reason I started going out with him again was because I thought he'd tried to save her and because of how supportive he was after the funeral. He was my rock. You were out of control hunting demons… I know I was too but you were obsessed. You were too busy to notice that I was falling apart but Cole was there for me. How do you think I feel now that I know he was responsible? Now that I know he murdered my sister?" She turned away with tears in her eyes.

Piper struggled not to cry, "I'm really sorry Phoebe… for everything. I'm sorry for what I said, I'm sorry for how I acted… But most of all I'm sorry for not being there for you. I know how much you were hurting because that's how much I was hurting. I just dealt with it in a different way. I tried to distract myself and bury my feelings rather than accepting what happened and trying to move on." She placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, "I know that you didn't tell him. I don't know what made me say it. I'm just scared."

Phoebe turned back round to face her, "I am too. But fighting amongst ourselves isn't helping." She saw how guilty Piper felt and gave her a small smile, "Let's just make the potions, ok?" Piper nodded and went back over to the table to continue with the potion she was working on. Phoebe flipped through the book until she found the page with the other potion on and started to get the ingredients out that she needed.

They worked in silence for a few minutes, neither of them knowing what to say. Finally, Piper looked over to her younger sister, "You know… You still kick at night." Phoebe looked up and Piper continued, "Prue always used to complain to me about it when we were young. Whenever you had a nightmare you used to climb into bed with her and she always complained that she could never get any sleep because you'd spend the whole night kicking and jabbing her, and hogging all the blanket. She didn't mind really though. I think she was pleased that you'd go to her instead of me or Grams."

Phoebe smiled sadly, "Paige always used to come to me whenever she had a nightmare. She didn't kick though… She always used to huddle up right on the edge."

"She was probably trying to get away from your kicks!" They both laughed and the tension eased off a bit. "Do you get upset talking about Prue and Paige?"

"A bit… It makes me sad that they're not here anymore but happy to think back on the memories. Besides, I know they're never far away and that they're watching over us."

"Well, Prue is. Hopefully, Once we get rid of Cole, Paige will be able to move on and then she can watch over us too."

An hour later they'd both finished their potions and were working on the third one when Leo orbed into the room. Piper smiled and kissed him, "Hey stranger, Where were you all night?"

"I had to go and see the Elders about my charge. Didn't Cole tell you? I asked him to let you know."

Phoebe grinned, "Oh you mean the one who keeps insulting demons? Not a smart move…"

Piper frowned, "Why did you tell Cole to let us know? I asked you to keep him away from us."

"When?"

"Yesterday! Remember? Phoebe was asleep on the couch and we were talking outside the attic. You promised to keep Cole distracted."

Leo shook his head, "The last time I spoke to you was in the kitchen after you'd written the memory spell. Did it work? And why would I need to keep Cole distracted?"

Phoebe went pale, "That wasn't you…"

Piper turned to her looking confused, "What are you talking about?"

"It wasn't him. It was Cole… It must have been. We know he got a load of new powers while he was in the demonic wasteland, maybe one of them was glamouring. He must have guessed something was up and decided to find out what."

Piper looked shocked, "Oh God! You're right! I told him everything!"

"What are you two talking about? What happened? What about Cole?" Leo looked at them with a puzzled expression.

"Okay, long story short… Cole killed Paige because he blamed her for splitting Phoebe and him up. He then cast a memory spell on us to make us think that he tried to save her and it was a different demon who killed her. After I cast that spell, we remembered what really happened and we summoned Prue who confirmed it. She told us how to vanquish him and said that Paige is a trapped spirit who can't move on until we kill him."

Leo stood there for a moment unsure of what to say, "Oh…"

Phoebe looked frustrated, "Oh? Oh?! That's the best you've got?"

"Ok, ok, calm down! What do you need?"

"We've got the potions covered but we need some of his blood. Any ideas?"

Leo looked thoughtful, "I could have a look round the underworld… An alchemist may have some. Remember when he was Belthazor and he made a potion so that your powers wouldn't work on him? Well he would have had to give some blood for the potion so maybe I could find the alchemist he used and see if they've still got some."

Phoebe shook her head, "No that won't work, He was Belthazor then but he's not anymore so technically it's not his blood."

"But he was only half Belthazor, the other half was Cole Turner. He's still Cole Turner so it should work."

"What if it doesn't?"

Piper squeezed her shoulder, "We're just going to have to take that chance. I can't see him giving some up willingly." Phoebe nodded reluctantly and Leo orbed out.

They turned back to the table to continue with the potion. This one was the most complicated and would take the longest to do. Then all they'd have to do is mix a bit of each together, add the blood and hey presto! A Cole vanquishing potion.

Another hour later and they'd completed it. They carefully poured an equal amount of each potion into a glass vial and put a cork in the end. All they needed now was the blood.

Piper began putting the ingredients away and Phoebe decided to go and get dressed as she was still in her pyjamas.

As she pulled on her clothes she realised with a start that these were the ones she'd been wearing in the premonition. So it was due to happen today and soon.

Cole walked into the bedroom as she was brushing her hair.

"Phoebe…?"

She turned to face him and forced herself to smile, "Hi Cole."

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to snap at you. I know how important Piper is to you and how much you need each other right now."

"It's ok, Cole. You had every right to be angry with me. I'm going to get a cup of tea then I have to get back to Piper… She's waiting for me."

"Can't we spend a couple of hours together?"

"I promise we will tonight." She started to back towards the door but he grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"I love you. You do know that don't you?"

"Of course I do…" He leaned forward and kissed her passionately. She forced herself to respond not wanting to anger him. After what seemed like a lifetime, he pulled back and smiled. She pulled her arm away from him and headed towards the door.

He stood there thinking for a while after she'd left the room. He knew that he'd have to execute his plan soon if he was to keep Phoebe. It was a pity really. He'd always liked Piper but she was turning Phoebe against him and he couldn't allow that. If everything was on schedule then that pesky Whitelighter should be shot by now. All that remained to be done was to kill the last thing standing between him and Phoebe. Then they could finally be happy.

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Piper paced the attic restlessly, She felt nervous. What was taking Leo so long?

Suddenly blue orbs appeared and for a split second she felt relieved. At least she was until the orbs disappeared and she saw her husband fall to his knees with a Darklighter arrow sticking through his stomach. He gasped in pain and fell back onto the floor. Piper ran to him and held his hand.

"Leo? Can you hear me?"

He tried to speak but his words came out in gasps, "I got… the blood… was ambushed… I'm sorry…" He held out his hand and passed her a small bottle containing Cole's blood. "Finish… the… potion…" His head lolled back as he slipped into unconsciousness.

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Phoebe heard Piper shout her name and ran up the stairs. As she reached the landing she saw Cole emerge from the bedroom.

"Phoebe stay here. I'll go and see what's wrong."

She pushed past him and hurried towards the attic stairs.

"Phoebe! I mean it! Stay down here!"

Still ignoring him she ran up the attic stairs. She heard his footsteps quickening behind her and sped up. As she burst through the attic door she saw Leo lying unconscious on the floor and Piper crying.

"No…" She hurried towards them but Piper tossed a bottle to her. It was filled with blood.

Piper looked up at her through tear filled eyes, "Hurry. The potion."

Nodding she ran towards the table and uncorked the bottle. She added some of the blood and then re-sealed the vial. Cole suddenly burst into the room.

"I told you to stay downstairs!" As she ran towards him with her arm raised he flung his hand out towards her creating a force field in front of her.

"No! Cole, please! Don't hurt her!"

He spun to face her angrily, "I won't let anyone take you from me!" He turned back to Piper and ignited an energy ball in his hand. Just as he was about to launch it at her, he went flying across the room and crashed into some boxes. He looked round, confused and an angry voice sounded from the doorway.

"Stay the hell away from my sisters!"

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A/N: Hmmm... I wonder who that could be? lol. Review time!


	11. Goodbye

A/N: Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for! Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed!

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Phoebe gasped in shock as Prue stepped into the room, an angry scowl on her face. Piper's expression was also a mixture of shock and relief as she watched Prue telekinetically throw Cole into the wall.

"P… Prue…?" Phoebe stepped towards her and got zapped with the force field.

Prue kept her eyes on the man in front of her but called over, "Stay back, Phoebe!"

Cole scrambled to his feet and stared at Prue in disbelief, "I thought you were dead?" Without waiting for an answer he flung an energy ball at her. Piper and Phoebe screamed but the energy ball simply hit her then disappeared into nothing. Prue smirked at him, "I am."

Cole ignited another energy ball in his hand and aimed at Piper, "I'll kill her. I swear to God I'll kill her. I just want Phoebe." Piper let out a sob as Leo moaned in pain. Quickly, Prue threw him into the wall again then pulled Piper to her feet.

Piper protested and tried to kneel next to Leo but Prue shook her roughly, "Snap out of it Piper! Falling apart won't save him. You need to trap Cole with the crystals. I'll keep him busy."

As Piper ran to grab the box of crystals, Prue started throwing bits of furniture at him. He advanced towards her angrily, batting away everything she threw at him. As soon as he got near enough he wrapped his hands round her throat, "You may be dead but that doesn't mean I won't try to kill you."

Unnoticed by him, Piper had retrieved the box of crystals and was sneaking round behind him. She carefully placed two of the crystals then the third. The only one that remained had to be placed in front of him. As quietly as she could, she snuck her arm round, past his ankle trying to put in in the correct place. Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, Cole spun round and backhanded Piper so hard that she fell back onto the floor clutching her face.

Prue took the opportunity and grabbed the last crystal. She placed it on the floor in front of him and smiled triumphantly when Cole let out a roar of anger.

The force field in front of Phoebe disappeared and she hurried to Piper, helping her to her feet and checking to see if she was injured. Another moan from Leo distracted them all and Piper rushed to his side, holding his hand and smoothing his hair back from his sweaty forehead.

"Leo? Leo, can you hear me? Please wake up!"

Prue put her hand on Piper's shoulder, "You need to summon an Elder."

Phoebe acted quickly, "Gideon!" (A/N: Ok, I know that they didn't meet Gideon until season six but just go with it lol.)

After a couple of seconds the Elder appeared in a swirl of orbs. He smiled at them, "Good evening, how may I help you?" He noticed Cole glaring at them from the crystal cage and raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"You need to heal Leo! Please, he's dying…" Gideon looked over at Piper who was knelt next to Leo's shaking body. With a small gasp of horror he quickly crossed the room and knelt next to the couple. Piper took hold of the arrow and wrenched it out trying her hardest to ignore Leo's pain filled gasp. Gideon held his hands over the dying Whitelighter and looked relieved as the healing glow appeared. A couple of seconds later Leo's eyes fluttered open and he sat up. Piper laughed in relief and flung her arms around him.

Prue and Phoebe turned away, giving them a moment of privacy.

"Thank you, Gideon." Phoebe smiled at him warmly.

He returned the smile with equal warmth, "Anytime." With that he orbed out.

Leo got to his feet and glanced at Cole "What happens now?"

Prue picked up the vanquishing potion, "We save our sister."

Leo nodded, "I'll go and inform the Elders." He kissed Piper and orbed out. Piper kicked aside one of the crystals, freeing Cole from his magical cage and Phoebe took the potion from Prue. She turned to face the man she'd once loved.

He looked at her pleadingly, "Phoebe, I did it all for you. I love you. She was keeping us from being together!"

"She was my sister and you killed her in cold blood. You just couldn't accept the fact that it was over. It had nothing to do with Paige. And then you try to kill Piper and Leo! You're evil and you always will be!"

"That's not true! I'm not evil! I'm just in love!"

Piper snorted, "You're not in love! You just have some sick obsession with her."

He glared at her angrily, "Stay out of this!" Turning back to Phoebe he tried one last time, "What will this accomplish really? She'll still be dead…"

Prue answered for her, "Thanks to you our little sister is a trapped spirit. Never able to move on, stuck between worlds! Cursed to spend a lifetime ceasing to exist. Vanquishing you will change that. She'll be able to move on and be with people who care about her."

Phoebe wasted no more time. Raising her hand she uttered two words, "Goodbye, Cole." Then she threw the potion at him. It hit him squarely in the chest and he yelled in pain as he erupted into flames.

A blast echoed through the attic destroying several pieces of furniture and shattering the windows, It was only once the smoke had cleared that Phoebe realised she was clinging to Prue.

Piper joined in with the hug, wrapping her arms round her two sisters. As she pulled away to survey the mess in the attic, she went pale as she caught sight of the figure standing by the Book of Shadows.

"Paige…?"

Phoebe and Prue spun round as they heard Piper gasp Paige's name. Seeing her stood by the Book, Phoebe swayed suddenly feeling like she was about to pass out. Prue quickly put an arm round her waist to steady her.

Paige stared at them before walking towards them hesitantly. When she spoke her voice sounded full of fear and uncertainty, "You guys can see me…?" She slowly extended her hand towards them as if she wasn't sure whether or not they were real.

Piper raised her hand to meet Paige's and gently clasped it, holding back a sob as she felt her youngest sister's soft hand in hers. Suddenly, unable to hold back the urge any longer she pulled Paige to her and wrapped her arms round her, holding her like she'd never let her go.

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A/N: So what did you think? I know the chapter isn't very long but I thought that it needed to end where it did. Next chapter will be up as soon as possible, you know I never keep you waiting long : )


	12. Confusion

A/N: Chapter 12! Woohoo! Thanks for all your reviews!

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Piper finally broke away from Paige and allowed Phoebe to take her place, holding her and stroking her hair, neither of them daring to believe she was real. As Phoebe clung to her little sister and cried tears of joy, Piper turned to Prue and spoke in a quiet voice, "Did you know about this?"

Prue shook her head firmly, "I had no idea, I swear I'd have told you if I did."

"Then I think we need my husband." Without hesitation Piper cast her eyes upwards and called loudly, "Leo!" Paige jumped slightly at the noise and pulled away from Phoebe. They turned to her in concern and watched as she backed away from them and sunk on to the sofa.

She didn't look too bad considering she'd been dead. She was a little paler than normal and looked very tired, a couple of faint bruises were still visible on her skin which Phoebe thought was strange.

A swirl of blue orbs signalled Leo's arrival and he smiled at them before turning to Paige, "Welcome back!"

Prue shook her head in confusion, "Yeah, but why is she back? I mean, The Elders told me that we had to vanquish Cole so that Paige could move on." At the sound of Cole's name, Paige let out a small whimper, Piper and Phoebe sat either side of her and wrapped their arms round her.

"He's gone sweetie, we vanquished him." Phoebe smoothed some hair back out of her sister's face.

Paige shook her head frantically looking confused and frightened, "No… No, No, No…"

Piper looked alarmed and tried to calm her down by rubbing light circles on Paige's back, "What is it? What's wrong?"

Paige suddenly stopped moving, she sat rigid in her seat and her eyes had a glazed look about them. When she spoke her voice was barely more than a whisper, "How long…?"

While Piper and Phoebe sat there, unsure of what to say, Prue crossed the room and knelt in front of Paige, resting her hands on her knees, "It's been a month, honey." She felt her heart break as her baby sister's gaze focused on her and her features took on that fearful, unsure look again.

"Prue…?"

"That's right. It's me, your big sister."

At those words, Paige leapt up from the sofa, nearly knocking Prue over. She backed away from them, shaking her head. She was talking in a fast voice, her words barely making any sense, "No, no… It's not true, It's a trick… You're not real, none of you are…." Her breathing quickened and soon she sank to her knees, hyperventilating. Piper rushed to her and held her, rocking her backwards and forwards.

"Breathe honey, just breathe… It's ok… Come on…" Her words had little effect on the hysterical young woman and she soon passed out in her arms. Laying her gently on the floor, she turned to the Whitelighter, "Ok Leo, What the hell just happened here?!"

Phoebe walked over and knelt next to Paige, holding her hand, "Why was she so afraid?"

As Leo went to reply, Prue cut him off, "Start with why she's here."

"Well, the Elders told me that it wasn't Paige's time to die and the only thing that was keeping her dead was the fact that Cole was still alive. Killing him changed that and allowed her to return."

Phoebe glared at him, "Can we please use the word vanquish and not kill?"

Prue continued, "But I thought that vanquishing him would just allow her to move on? I mean, when Shax was vanquished I couldn't come back."

"That's because you'd already moved on. You were killed protecting an innocent, you were just doing your job. Paige was murdered."

Prue looked like she was going to argue some more but Phoebe interrupted her, "So why was she freaking out? And why was she so scared?"

Leo turned to her, "Imagine it. Stuck between worlds, endlessly drifting, unable to be seen or heard by those you love. Time has no meaning, days become weeks, weeks become months, months become years... You begin to think that you're cursed to spend an eternity like that, reliving your death over and over again. Your mind starts to play tricks on you and you lose all hope of ever being able to rest in peace. Then suddenly, you're back… You're real…" Piper looked like she was going to cry and sat down next to Phoebe. Leo continued, "She probably just thought it was too good to be true and that she was going crazy. I mean, one minute she was floating around with her mind constantly replaying her death to her and the next she's standing in the attic with all three of her sisters. It must have been overwhelming."

There was a few minutes silence before anyone spoke, eventually Phoebe did, "If she's alive again does that mean all of Cole's actions were erased?"

This time it was Prue who answered, "No, Everything he did to her has still happened. Nothing can erase that."

Leo glanced up as he heard the Elders calling him. He looked over at Piper, "I have to go."

"Before you do, could you orb us and Paige to her bedroom?"

"Sure" Leo knelt down next to the youngest Halliwell and took hold of her hand, he orbed down to her bedroom and lay her on the bed. "I'll see you soon." He kissed Piper and gave her a hug before orbing out.

Prue tucked the covers around Paige and sat next to her on the bed, stroking her hand against the pale cheek. She looked at Piper and Phoebe sadly, "You know, I wanted to meet her so badly but I never dreamt it would be under these circumstances. I watched over her the same way I did with you two. I don't know whether it was the fact I was dead but I was never really that surprised when Mom told me about her. I was just thrilled to have another sister and sad that I wouldn't get to meet her."

Phoebe sat down next to Prue and put her arm round her, "But you get to meet her now. It may not be under the best circumstances but she needs you and besides... It gives you the chance to be her big sister."

Piper looked shamefaced at her sisters words, "I haven't been a very good big sister." They looked over at her as she sat down in an armchair, "Especially when we first met her."

Prue got off the bed and sat on the arm of the chair, "You were just hurting, she knew that. She'd experienced loss before and understood what you were going through,"

"But I was so unwelcoming. It must have been so hard for her, finding out she had a family and then meeting us on the day of your funeral. She must have felt like she was intruding or something and I just pushed her away and wouldn't give her a chance."

Prue wasn't sure what she could say to make Piper feel better so she opted for a change of subject, "How about we go and get something to eat? It's been a hell of a day."

Piper gave her a small smile before saying sarcastically, "Very discreet, Prue." However she got up and headed towards the door. She paused as she went to open it and looked back at her older sister, "Do dead people even eat?"

Prue shrugged, "I won't say no. I've missed your cooking." She looked over at Phoebe and smiled when she saw that she'd fallen asleep on the bed, "I guess we'll have to save them some."

"Do you think Paige will be alright?"

"She'll be fine. It might take a while but she's a fighter. She is a Halliwell after all, last name or not."

They made there way downstairs and into the kitchen, Prue took a seat at the table while Piper opened cupboards seeing what she could make.

Prue sighed happily, "God, I've missed this place! I mean, I can watch over you lot all the time and I'm usually somewhere in the house, keeping an eye on things but it's not the same as actually being here and being able to touch things or interact with stuff." She watched Piper scurry round the kitchen, "What are you making anyway?"

"Macaroni cheese… Is that ok?"

Prue let out a little moan of pleasure, "Oh… I love macaroni cheese…" Piper laughed and got out the pasta.

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Phoebe woke up a short while later when she felt movement in the bed. She panicked for a split second thinking it was Cole but then realised that it was Paige. She watched her sister's face as she fidgeted in her sleep, her features taking on a pained expression. Phoebe reached out and stroked her hair comfortingly still not quite able to believe she was real. For one long month now she'd been trying to accept the fact that Paige was dead. Gone. Not coming back. And now she was here, lying in bed next to her.

A gasp sounded from Paige and she opened her eyes quickly, struggling with the blankets and in the process getting herself more tangled. Phoebe shushed her softly and helped unwind the duvet from around her waist, "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

Paige didn't answer for a second, "I don't know…"

Phoebe opened her arms and Paige crawled into the embrace, snuggling against her and cherishing her warmth.

"A little scared I guess… I keep thinking that any minute now I'm going to open my eyes and I'll still be drifting around, watching you and Piper go after all those demons who had nothing to do with me dying and watching him living with you, sharing your bed, kissing you…" She drew a shaky breath trying not to cry at the memories.

"We had no idea you know… He cast a memory spell on us."

"I know, but it doesn't make it any easier…" She felt Phoebe tighten her grip on her and was comforted by it. She was slowly starting to realise that she was really back and that she wasn't going anywhere. She sniffed suddenly, catching a waft of something delicious, "Is Piper cooking?"

Phoebe took a sniff of the air, "Smells like it, wanna go and check it out?" Paige hesitated, reluctant to leave the safe arms of her sister but her stomach protested so she sat up and got out of bed. Phoebe stood and held her hand as they left the room and went downstairs.

Entering the kitchen they both gaped at the sight before them, Piper and Prue were running round the kitchen hurling handfuls of flour at each other. Their hair was white and they had smears of the stuff all over their faces and clothes. They both stopped when they realised they were being watched and blushed.

Phoebe took a step into the room, "What the hell are you two doing?"

Instantly, Piper put on her baby voice and put her hands behind her back, hiding the guilty flour packet, "Prue started it!"

Prue turned to her with an indignant look on her face, "Did not!"

They both started laughing and Phoebe joined in, shaking her head at the pair of them. Paige felt a small smile creep onto her face and soon she was laughing too.

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A/N: You know the drill by now, you leave me lots of lovely reviews and I'll get on with writing the next chapter : )


	13. Sister Bonding

A/N: Ok, ok... I know it's taken me longer than usual to get the chapter up but I do have a valid reason. I was moving my room round and sorting through all my stuff so I didn't have any time to get it done. However, I sat down an hour ago, got it written and here it is!

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After the small episode in the kitchen, Paige seemed to relax a bit more. It was like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders and her sisters were happy to see her smiling again.

While Piper and Prue went upstairs to clean themselves up a bit and change their clothes, Phoebe and Paige sat in the living room balancing bowls of macaroni cheese on their laps. Stuffing a forkful of pasta into her mouth, Paige sighed in content and looked at Phoebe., speaking with her mouth full, "I can't believe how much I've missed Piper's cooking…"

Phoebe smiled at her. Speaking with her mouth full had always been the one thing she and Piper had chided her about yet now it was a very welcoming thing and it gave Phoebe a comforting sense of familiarity.

Swallowing her food, Phoebe glanced at Paige, "What was it like…?"

Paige didn't answer for a few minutes, she sat there staring into space and chewing on her pasta absent-mindedly. Phoebe began to think that Paige must not have heard her but then she finally answered, her voice wavering, "It's just so hard to describe… I mean, I had no body, obviously… It was strange. It was like I was just made up of thoughts and feelings. There was an immense feeling of loneliness and hopelessness and it was like my mind was a mini picture show, replaying the moment I died over and over again. Every emotion that I'd been through during and in the days leading up to my death seem to cling to me until I forgot what any other emotion felt like.

I was aware of the fact that I seemed to be constantly floating. I could see you and Piper and I tried so hard to communicate with you both. After a while of being stuck there I managed to sometimes summon the strength to channel my voice and occasionally I could power myself up enough to create a breeze…"

Phoebe interrupted, "Like when you flipped the pages to Cole's picture?"

Paige winced at the mention of his name but nodded, "Yeah, I was feeling so frustrated, I knew what had happened and I guessed he must have cast a spell over you both. I didn't know what to do and I was worried he'd hurt one of you. I didn't want the same thing to happen to either of you that happened to me. Then when you asked for help I just summoned every bit of strength I had and managed to flip the pages to the right one."

Feeling guilty over the fact that she hadn't realised what Paige had been trying to tell her, Phoebe quickly changed the subject, "Leo mentioned that time has no meaning where you were. How long did you think you'd been there?"

Paige shook her head sadly and placed her empty bowl on the table, "I thought it had been years, I know I could see all of you so it should have been obvious that it hadn't been that long but it wasn't. I seriously thought I'd been trapped for years and that I'd never be free. I was so shocked when Prue told me it had only been a month!"

Phoebe picked up both of the bowls, regretting bringing the subject up now, "Tell you what, how about you pick a movie while I take these out. Then when Piper and Prue come down we can have a sister movie night!"

"Isn't it kind of late?"

Piper's voice sounded as her and Prue entered the room, "It's never too late for a movie night! Although I don't know whether I'd be able to stay awake through it all…"

Prue giggled and jumped onto the sofa next to Paige, "It's not about staying awake! We never watch the film anyway, we always end up chatting all the way through it then falling asleep before the credits are even up!"

Piper grinned, "Okay then! Phoebe you wash up those dishes, Prue and Paige choose the film and I'll make the popcorn!"

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An hour later they were all squashed together on the sofa. Phoebe was on the end, next to Paige, then there was Piper and lastly Prue. There was a bowl of popcorn stuffed wedged between Phoebe and Paige and one between Piper and Prue. There was a large tub of cookie dough ice cream on the table.

Prue and Paige had refused point blank to watch 'Kill It Before It Dies' much to Phoebe's disappointment and had opted instead for a chick flick. They'd all seemed to have forgotten the film though and were swapping stories instead.

Prue giggled helplessly as Phoebe told her about when she and Paige had swapped bodies.

"It was so funny when Paige tried to levitate! She sort of flew into the air and spun round about fifty times! She looked like she was practising for the ballet!"

Paige smacked her lightly, "It was so not funny!" She turned to Prue, "She ate Kung Pao chicken! I had stomach ache all day!"

Piper looked disapprovingly at Prue who was still laughing , "Well, Paige, I know a certain big sister of ours that once turned into a man!"

Paige choked on her popcorn and had to be slapped on the back by Phoebe, she turned to face Prue looking as if all her Christmases had come at once, "You turned into a man?"

Prue blushed furiously and threw some popcorn at Piper, "You promised never to bring that up again!"

"Ah, yes I did, but that doesn't include not being able to tell our little sister, after all she needs to know the gossip." Prue hid her face behind a cushion while Paige prodded her playfully.

"Come on, tell me about it!"

Eventually after much more poking, Prue relented and told Paige about how they'd cast a spell to help track the Succubus and how it had transformed her into a guy.

Paige snorted with laughter, "You called yourself Manny Hanks?! What sort of a name is that?!"

Phoebe chuckled, "You should have seen her trying to do a manly walk!" Prue threw the cushion at her, accidentally tipping over the bowl of popcorn. She cursed and began scooping it back up while Piper ranted to her about how messy she was.

Phoebe smiled at Paige, "It's good to see you smiling again." Piper and Prue stopped what they were doing and looked at their youngest sister who blushed slightly and looked away. Piper draped her arm round her shoulders, "We've missed you Paigey."

"I missed you too."

Prue cleared her throat dramatically, "Y'know, I haven't had a hug from my baby sister yet?"

Paige stood up shyly, brushing crumbs from her top. She held out her arms nervously and Prue leapt up grinning. She wrapped her arms round her and held her close, "I know it's a bit late for this considering how we met hours ago but it's good to finally meet you." Paige didn't answer her but she tightened her grip and rested her head against her shoulder.

Eventually they broke apart and sat back down on the sofa. They'd all shifted positions now so that Phoebe and Piper were sitting together on one end and Prue and Paige sat together on the other. Paige leaned back against Prue, "How long will you be able to stay for?"

Prue ran her fingers through Paige's hair soothingly, "I don't know. I thought that I'd just be staying to help Piper and Phoebe vanquish Cole but maybe the Elders are letting me stay for a bit longer to get to know you. I'll probably only be able to stay for a day or two."

"Actually that's not quite true…" They all spun round at Leo's voice to see him standing in the doorway, fighting to keep a smile off his face, "The Elders have agreed to let you stay here permanently. They're giving you your life back."

There was a split second of shocked silence before Piper, Phoebe and Paige all threw themselves on Prue, hugging and kissing her.

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A/N: The idea to bring Prue back wasn't my idea it was charmedcrazy14's (You got your wish!) Anyway, I think there's probably only going to be one more chapter now (Oooh! That'll make it the same length as my first story! Spooky!) so the quicker you leave me lots of nice reviews the quicker I'll write the next chapter!


	14. Pillow Fights And Friday Nights!

A/N: Well, here it is! The last chapter. I've written this about 5 times now and I'm still not completely happy but hopefully you lot will like it, after all that's the main thing lol!

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It had been a few days now since Leo had announced that Prue was allowed to stay for good. Things were slowly returning to normal, Prue had moved into the guest bedroom. Paige had tried to let her have her old room back but she wouldn't hear of it.

"It's your room now, Paige."

She'd been mortified to discover that they'd sold her car but couldn't come up with an argument as to why they should have kept it. She still complained for a couple of hours about how it had been her 'baby'. They finally managed to silence her when they told her that they'd kept all her clothes and shoes. She'd instantly rushed up to the attic to unpack it all.

Phoebe had managed to move on from Cole by casting the same spell Piper had cast to sever her love to Jeremy the warlock. Leo had grumbled a bit about personal gain but given in eventually, deciding that it was probably better to face a couple of mild consequences rather than face a miserable witch.

Paige was getting a little better each day and was almost back to her old self. She was still a bit jumpy and suffered from nightmares but each day they could see a little more of the old Paige shining through. Her sisters could tell that what had happened to her still haunted her and they knew that it probably always would. There was no way she'd ever be able to forget about the traumatic events she'd been through but she knew her sisters would always be there for her no matter what.

The youngest and oldest Halliwell were overjoyed to be able to get to know each other finally and had hardly left each others side since coming back from the dead. They spent every free minute together, swapping stories about magical mishaps and their childhood. They'd laughed together, cried together and enjoyed every minute.

Piper and Phoebe had felt a bit jealous to start with, about all the time they were spending together but had come to the conclusion that they were just happy to have them back.

Leo had been worried when The Elders had told him Prue and Paige would be returning, after all, that would be a huge exposure risk but they'd spoken with The Cleaners and managed to convince them to rewrite history and make it so that no-one remembered Prue or Paige ever dying. It had been a huge job and had taken over a full day to do but now finally the recently resurrected sisters were allowed outside again.

Paige had called up South Bay Social Services and managed to get her old job back that she loved so much. Prue wasn't quite as lucky, after calling up 415 magazine to attempt to become their photographer again she was told rather bluntly that they'd replaced her ages ago and had no use for her.

She sat in the kitchen now, staring down into her cup of coffee, lost in thought. She didn't even hear her sisters enter the room until Phoebe dropped down into the chair next to her. Paige sat up on the counter and Piper stood, leaning against Paige's legs.

No-one spoke and eventually Prue answered the unspoken question that was lingering in the room, "I couldn't get my job back. I was basically told to get lost and that they didn't need me."

Piper cleared her throat, "We know, there was a message on the answering machine from them. What are you going to do?"

Prue sighed dramatically, "I don't know. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be to pick up where I left off after a year and a half. I should have guessed it wouldn't be as easy as I hoped it would be."

Paige sat, absent-mindedly playing with Piper's hair, "Didn't you used to work at an auction house? Couldn't you get a job there again?"

Prue shook her head miserably, "I don't want to do that though, I want to be a photographer, it's what I love." She looked at Phoebe who had a mischievous grin on her face, "What?"

Phoebe instantly changed her face to look innocent, "Nothing, nothing… Just had a little idea that's all… I won't tell you what it is yet in case it doesn't work out."

They all looked at her curiously but she simply tapped the side of her nose secretly and left the room. Piper glanced over to Prue, "She's up to something."

"When isn't she?"

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To celebrate Prue's and Paige's return, the girls and Leo decided to go out for the night to P3. The Lost Prophets were booked to play and everyone was in high spirits as they got ready to go.

Phoebe was the first one ready for once and was chatting on the phone to someone downstairs. Prue was helping Paige with her make up while Piper and Leo were getting ready in their room.

Leo smiled at Piper as she picked out a pair of earrings, "I've missed this…"

Piper glanced at him as she replaced the pair she was wearing with the pair she'd chosen, "Missed what?"

"Normal stuff…Getting ready for a night out, you smiling… looking happy." He got up and stood behind her looking at her through the mirror, "I've missed us."

Piper turned so that she was facing him and planted a soft kiss on his lips, "Me too…"

Next door Paige and Prue were having a mild argument.

"That colour doesn't go!"

"Yes it does, trust me!"

"I'm too pale for it! It doesn't go with my complexion!" Paige folded her arms stubbornly.

"Who's the oldest sister? Me or you? I'm telling you, it will look great!"

"Oh yeah?" Paige picked up a pillow that was next to her and swung it at Prue's head. While she was regaining her balance Paige took off, running out of the room.

"You're so gonna pay for that!" Prue seized another pillow and ran after her.

Paige ran down the stairs giggling, "Piper! Phoebe! Help!"

Phoebe slammed down the phone and ran to her, "What is it? Demons?!"

"No, an older sister out for revenge!"

Hearing Prue coming down the stairs, Phoebe grinned, "Not a good idea, starting a pillow fight with Prue…"

Paige ducked down behind Phoebe just as Prue got to the bottom of the stairs, "Come out Paige! Phoebe won't save you!"

"On the contrary, Prue. It's my duty as an older sister to protect her." She grabbed a cushion from the sofa and soon there was an all out pillow war on.

Piper and Leo came down the stairs a few minutes later and stared in disbelief at the three women before them.

"What the hell's going on??"

Phoebe grinned and brushed her messy hair out of her face, "Sorry, Piper… We need to go and get ready again."

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An hour later they were all at P3 having a great time. The band was playing, everyone was dancing and the atmosphere was terrific. It was a Friday night so the place was packed!

They were all sitting in their usual booth with glasses of wine. Paige didn't normally drink but had decided to just this once seeing as they were celebrating.

Prue looked around in amazement, "Wow, Piper! P3 looks great! It's really built up since last time I was here!"

Leo leaned forward a little, "I think we should make a toast!"

Piper nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, To family! May we never be apart again!"

Prue raised her glass, "To Paige, for getting her old job back!"

Phoebe smiled and raised her glass, "To Prue and her new job!"

They all looked at her curiously. Phoebe grinned and turned to Prue, "I know how badly you wanted to be a photographer again so I rang Elise at the newspaper office where I work. There was a job vacancy which turned out to be for a photographer. So I recommended you and she agreed, You start on Monday!"

Prue squealed in delight and grabbed Phoebe, pulling her into a huge squeezy hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Piper beamed at them, "That's great!"

Leo cleared his throat, "So, back to the toast?"

"Ah yes, the toast!" They all raised their glasses again as Piper continued, "So, to family, to new beginnings, to new jobs and…"

Paige spoke, "And to sisters." They all clinked their glasses together and drank.

Paige smiled, Now this was a happy ending!

_The End._

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A/N: So there it is! PLEASE review and let me know what you thought, I haven't been that happy with this story so I NEED to know what you think!!! Which story did you prefer? What were my strong/weak points and where could I improve? All reviews are greatly appreciated! xx


	15. Authors Note!

A/N: Hi everyone! I've been thinking about re-doing this story… Not completely! I just wasn't very happy with the ending of the story and was thinking of taking out that last chapter and re-doing it. I may even be able to make it longer by a couple of chapters. Let me know what you think!

I'm also working on a new story at the minute, I'm not sure when that will be out as I'm still only in the first stages but I just thought I'd let you know.


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